Juniata Science Student Receives Scholarship to Work in Germany

(Posted April 20, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Jeremy Weaver, a senior from Altoona, Pa. studying biochemistry and the son of Dan and Adell Weaver of Altoona, received the German Academic Exchange Service's (DAAD) undergraduate/graduate scholarship to fund a research internship with Bayer AG in Germany from May through August 2009.

This highly competitive scholarship is for qualified undergraduate students to fund senior thesis research, internships, and study in Germany. DAAD is a German national agency aiming to bring together US, Canadian and German Universities, professors and students, to provide fellowships and programs for students from the United States and Canada and to promote Germany's academic, scientific and cultural accomplishments.

Weaver will work in Monheim, Germany, near Dusseldorf, in the Crop Science Division of the German conglomerate where he will be working on herbicide research. After his summer internship in Germany, Weaver will enter the doctoral program in biochemistry at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

Weaver also spent his junior year in Germany, studying abroad at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany. During his time in Germany, he also worked on a research project with Lars Oliver Essen, a researcher at the university working on photolyases.

Weaver also took on research projects at Juniata. During the summer of 2006 and the 2006-2007 academic year, he worked on isolating and characterizing enzymes with Ruth Reed, professor of chemistry. This year, Weaver continued working with Reed on a different project, a search for a new way to analyze enzyme activity.

He will present his research at the April 22 Liberal Arts Symposium at Juniata and also made a recent presentation at Franklin & Marshall University.